Whistleblowers Propel Government Fraud Recoveries

Law360, New York (November 22, 2006, 12:00 AM EST) -- Whistleblowers helped the U.S. government recover a record $3.1 billion in fraud cases in the past fiscal year, propelled to a large extent by sharp rise in recoveries in the health care industry.

Last year’s tally by far exceeded the previous record of $2.2 billion for the fiscal year of 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The government recorded a sharp rise in recoveries in large part thanks to settlements against two industry giants—Tenet Healthcare Corporation and the Boeing Company—comprising nearly half the total, the...